March TA- Last Minute?

[notscb]

I'm looking at and very interested in doing a solo TA in March on Symphony, but the prices are a bit much for solo. Wondering if anyone has seen prices for these longer cruises with RCL drop in the week or two before, or if that's a thing of the past. Not too worried about flight costs- if I use miles the cost pretty much stays the same for flights.

[cruiseboy89130]

you already missed the lowest pricing for that cruise!

[gumshoe958]

At under $125 a night for an interior including taxes & fees I’d say it’s still a decent solo price for one of the best ships in the fleet. Particularly when prices for pretty much everything are high right now.

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, notscb said:

I'm looking at and very interested in doing a solo TA in March on Symphony, but the prices are a bit much for solo.

Also look at pricing for double - you might not see lower GTY rates if only looking for solo.

[cruiseboy89130]

8 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

At under $125 a night for an interior including taxes & fees I’d say it’s still a decent solo price for one of the best ships in the fleet. Particularly when prices for pretty much everything are high right now.

It was @ $35 pp for a balcony not long ago!

[Starry Eyes]

1 hour ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

It was @ $35 pp for a balcony not long ago!

Unless you can loan the OP a Time Machine, that pricing no longer matters to the OP.

 

The OP is asking people’s opinions on what will happen between now and sailing.  That is difficult to guess.  Cabin availability seems pretty limited which works against you.  It was on was week’s GGG sale.  You might check future sales; it make re-appear.  If it does, the cabins are likely to be gty which likely require double booking.  Hypothetically a second guest might book but later cancel or no show.
 

 

[notscb]

7 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

GGG sale.

GGG Sale?

I'm definitely leaning toward the hypothetical of booking two and getting a refund of the second port fees and taxes for when they suddenly can't make it (if i can get the pricing to work out).

[notscb]

14 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Also look at pricing for double - you might not see lower GTY rates if only looking for solo.

 

It's actually really weird, on all of the sites I'm using to compare pricing, the advertised pricing is definitely not what's coming up for double (which I attribute to an inventory issue/dynamic pricing- more cabins being sold etc.)

[notscb]

18 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

for one of the best ships in the fleet.

 

I agree the pricing is decent either way, given how long the trip is. If I understand right, that ship is going to be in Dry Dock following the TA for a few weeks, which makes me think it may need some refreshing. What about it did you like or do you feel makes it one of the best ships in the fleet?

[Starry Eyes]

9 minutes ago, notscb said:

GGG Sale?

I'm definitely leaning toward the hypothetical of booking two and getting a refund of the second port fees and taxes for when they suddenly can't make it (if i can get the pricing to work out).

Going going gone sale

There is a GGG sale many (not all) weeks.  Check the link below.  It will update when a new sale comes out.

 

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Multi_Dest/Special_Offers/rci_sales_event_USD.pdf

 

even if a ship is in great cosmetic shape, the mechanicals need regular service.  For Oasis class ships, that currently requires a trip to Europe for a large enough dry dock.  Of course they will do other work while she is empty 

Edited January 26, 2023 by Starry Eyes

[notscb]

1 minute ago, Starry Eyes said:

Going going gone sale

I HAD NO IDEA. Thank you! 🙂 Makes sense why suddenly the rates went up so much.

[gumshoe958]

6 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

I agree the pricing is decent either way, given how long the trip is. If I understand right, that ship is going to be in Dry Dock following the TA for a few weeks, which makes me think it may need some refreshing. What about it did you like or do you feel makes it one of the best ships in the fleet?

She’s coming up to 5 years old so a dry dock is mandatory and in no way means she’s in bad shape. For now she’s the fourth newest ship in the fleet and still feels very contemporary.  

For a TA with so many sea days you want a ship with lots to do and see and plenty of options for eating and drinking, and an O-class ship really can’t be beaten for choice.

[Biker19]

8 hours ago, notscb said:

Makes sense why suddenly the rates went up so much.

It was on the GGG flier for at least two weeks and the price now just went back up to kinda what it was before it went on the flier. The ZI GTY rate I see is $577pp base fare, which is still pretty good (less than $50pppd rate on a newish O class is great) - you can book this via a dummy second person. About 60 days out is kinda where most of the deals happen - by the time you get to about 30 days out, RCI tries to get the ship fairly full and prices go back up.

[notscb]

19 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

For a TA with so many sea days you want a ship with lots to do and see and plenty of options for eating and drinking, and an O-class ship really can’t be beaten for choice.

 

That was kind of my thought as well, especially since the actual (non TA) cruises on the O-Class ships is still selling at a premium. I figured the TA on it would be a great way to really explore and experience the ship.

[notscb]

11 hours ago, Biker19 said:

About 60 days out is kinda where most of the deals happen

Thats good to know! I'm going to keep a eye on it, but for now it's a bit more than I'm hoping to spend on it. Maybe next year, though!

[Biker19]

Just now, notscb said:

Thats good to know! I'm going to keep a eye on it, but for now it's a bit more than I'm hoping to spend on it. Maybe next year, though!

While many repos have price drops inside final payment, that doesn't mean it happens all the time.